DLA Bulletin Volume 33, Number 3

BULLETIN VOL. 33, -NO. 3
Spring Summer
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
Woodbridge, Connecticut, Apr. 18 - Research Publi­cations,
Inc. (RPI) of Woodbridge, Connecticut in co­operation
with the Columbia Unversity School of Social
Work, the oldest school of social work in the United
States, will produce a microfilm collection based on the
holdings of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Li­brary
of Social Work. The Social Work Agency Collec­tion
will contain materials from american and foreign
voluntary and public social service agencies, institu­tions,
and organizations.
The Social Work Library was started by the New York
Charity Organization Society in 1892. During the early
1900's the leading social service agencies pooled their
records and gave them to the Russell Sage Foundation,
the preeminent agency of the time. In 1949, when the
Russell Sage Foundation disbanded, the records were
given to the New York School of Social Work, which in
1963 became the Columbia University School of Social
Work.
The history of formal education for the profession of
social work is closely related to the history of voluntary
social service organizations in this country, and the two
have developed and changed through the years in
response to sociopolitical and economic trends and
attitudes with respect to philanthropy and social wel­fare.
The Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Library of
Social Work contains more of the records necessary for
social work education than can be found in any other
social work library. These records, often referred to as
fugitive material, ephemera, or agency material, cover
topics dealing with the entire range of human problems
from infancy to old age, death, and bereavement. They
were produced by agencies as state of the art reports,
annual reports, conference and workshop proceedings,
position papers, training, and case documents. This
type of material is considered so important that the
Council on Social Work Education (the accrediting body
for all schools of social work) requires that all libraries
supporting social work education acquire and maintain
a collection of it.
In the traditional library setting much of this type of
material is considered ephemera, with little attention
given to collecting it and cataloging it systematically for
any permanent collection. Columbia is one of the few
libraries which has made a systematic effort to collect
and organize this great body of material. As is its
policy, Research Publications will provide bibliographic
tools and cataloging to assure comprehensive access to
the contents of this collection.
The Social Work Agency Collection will be of great
interest to all schools offering social work curricula,
and the many colleges and universities which now offer
programs in the fields of Aging Studies, Drug and
Alcohol Rehabilitation, Criminal Justice, Child Welfare,
Juvenile Delinquence, and other areas which relate to
materials in the collection. Social and intellectual
historians and social scientists will also find consider­able
research material of interest to them in this
microfilm collection.
NEW LETA
SERIALS
1980
A new institute on "Automated Serials Control,"
sponsored by the Library and Information Technology
Association, a division of the American Library Associa­tion,
will be held, September 4-5, 1980 at the Pfister
Hotel in Milwaukee, WI.
An important part of the program will be exhibits and
demonstrations of operational systems available
through commercial vendors, bibliographic utilities,
regional and state networks, and other systems that are
available through cooperative use. Provision will be
made for libraries with internally developed operational
systems to exhibit their systems and distribute hand­outs.
Vendors, utilities, networks, and libraries who are
interested in exhibiting at this important institute should
contact UTA I ALA, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611 ; or
call (312) 944-6780, extension 302.
Looking for ways to develop / update performance
appraisal in your college library? Ever wondered how
other college libraries handle this problem? What kinds
of written policies exist? How they are implemented?
Now you can CUP it.
Included in CUP No. 1-80 are an annotated biblio­graphy
of recent literature on performance apprai$al,
plus sample policies, procedures, and forms demonstrat­ing
a variety of approaches presently used at 10 sample
institutions. This material illustrates many positive
features to mix and match, according to the circum­stances
at a particular library.
To obtain material for this kit, the ACRL College
Library Section Continuing Education Committee polled
libraries of academic institutions in AAUP Category II
from seven Midwestern States. From their responses
the Committee selected uniquely representative infor­mation
for presentation.
CUPs or College Library Information Packets have
been developed by the CLS-CE Committee to dissemi­nate
information from college libraries on how they are
dealing with topics of general interest. The focus of
CUP No. 1-80 was felt to be a particularly pressing
problem. Other CUPs are in the planning stages and
will be announced as available.
Copies may be obtained from: Continuing Education
Chair, ACRL/ ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, Illinois
60611. Cost: $7.50 ACRL Members; $10.00 Non-
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: ACCOMMODATING DISTURBED
Washington Post Article
This article appeared in the Washington Post, March 28, 1980. Permission granted for use 7-1s.80.
She comes to the Library of Congress every day,
gliding through the ornate marble corridors in flowing
white robes and veil, carrying a white leather Bible and
calling herself the bride of Christ.
In the hushed, softly lit aisles of the main reading
room, a man sits quietly, wearing a yellow plastic
wastebasket over his head. Nearby, an elderly woman
leafs through stacks of telephone books, looking for the
person who had put a spell on her many years earlier.
Their behavior, and that of a dozen other homeless,
friendless and unwashed patrons who regularly seek
asylum in the building's unthreatening atmosphere, has
prompted the federal institution to seek outside help.
In January, the Psychiatric Institute of Washington
began an unprecendented 19-week course for library
staffers entitled: "Successfully Dealing With Disrup­tive
Disturbed Patrons."
"The Library of Congress is like the dayroom of a
state mental hospital," said Deana Goldstein, director of
the Institute's Crisis Intervention Center. Along with a
staff psychiatrist, Goldstein meets with 25 library
staffers every Tuesday morning from 8:30 to 11:30,
teaching them how to deal with bizarre or brazen book
lovers.
"Librarians are notoriously tolerant people," said
Goldstein. "But they put up with a lot they don't have
to. It's not only disturbed patrons, but prima donnas
from Congress who aren't necessarily psychotic, but
close to it."
According to Goldstein, it is the first such effort by a
federal agency in helping public employees deal with
the public.
"I tell people about some of the readers," said Kathy
Gould, director of the newspaper and periodical reading
room. "They don't believe it."
The roster of library "Irregulars" includes the "Bag
Lady," for example, wno spends the day at the Library
of Congress despite the fact that "her body odor clears
out the entire room," according to one staffer.
"Most of the readers are very tolerant," said Gould,
recalling one man who became overpowered by the
"Bag Lady's" foul smell and told the reference desk the
Xerox machine must be on fire.
There's "Robin Hood," a tall attractive man who
wears a quiver of arrows on his shoulder and sits at the
microfilm screen every day, reading back copies of The
Los Angeles Times.
"The Button Lady" wears a large, brown paper button
with the word "LOVE" printed on it. "She accuses
everyone of being an FBI agent and dresses like a nun.
One day she brought in a camera and started photo­graphing
the others readers," according to one em­ployee.
Then there was the man who was caught - naked -
doing his laundry in the first floor men's room. One
employee remembers the man who came in dressed as
a shepherd, carrying a staff. Another reader wears
styrofoam cups over his ears to block out interfering
radio waves from China.
"Most of them are really harmless," said Gould, a
13-year veteran of the Library of Congress. "But it
makes me a little uneasy. It's the really hostile reader
who upsets us."
"Mr. Gloves," according to the library's general
counsel, John Kominski, was a hostile reader.
"He wore these thin white gauze gloves and had an
irascible personality," said Kominski. Before his ban­ishment
from the library, "Mr. Gloves" could be found
fighting and cursing the library staffers as they tried to
hush his disturbances.
According to one staffer, "Mr. Gloves" was suspected
of pilfering the library's monthly copy of "Gourmet"
magazine. Another regular patron, who called herself
the Queen of France, would daily sunter into the
periodical reading room, pull up a chair to the micro­film
machine and curse at the top of her lungs.
"Over the past few years, it's become an increasing
problem," said Kominski. "It's not just street people
who come in from the cold, but people who are, in fact,
disturbed. "
Saying the very nature of the Library of Congress
attracts "the fringe element," Kominski said the num­ber
has increased inordinantly. "Perhaps it's due to
economic or social pressure. Maybe they're spreading
the word among themselves," he said. "I think it's
somewhat of a unique problem."
Experts in the mental health field say the Library of
Congress allows disturbed persons - some of them
out-patients from local mental hospitals - to be in
society without actually having to participate in it.
Since the library is open seven days a week, from
morning to night, it has become a haven for the lonely,
deluded and paranoid residents of Washington's halfway
houses and East Capitol St. rooming houses. They sleep
on the reading room tables and gather in the basement
snack bar, snatching half-consumed cups of coffee and
cigarette butts.
"They are people you feel a natural sorrow for," said
reference librarian Tom Martin. "In many cases,
there's little you can do."
According to Deana Goldstein, there are two reasons
why the Library of Congress, as well as other public
places across the country, are seeing more disturbed
persons. "The first reason is the advent of major
tranquilizers, the second is the idea of 'main-streaming'
mentally ill patients, the trend away from institution­alization.
"
In fact, the resident population of mental institutions
has been reduced by two-thirds in 20 years, according to
nationwide surveys. In 1955, there were 559,000 resident
mental patients. By 1975, that figure had dropped to
193,000 patients. At the same time, admissions in­creased
but the hospital stays were of a shorter dura­tion.
Studies also found that 64 percent were read­missions
and that one-half of all mental patients who
were released were readmitted to the hospital within
one year.
St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Southeast Washington re­ported
a decline of nearly 4,000 resident patients be­tween
the years 1966 and 1976. As of May 1979, there
were only 1,965 resident patients.
A hospital spokesman said the idea of "mainstream­ing"
mental patients into society hinges on support
systems in the conununity. With current city and
federal budget cuts, it appears unlikely that services for
persons who need supervision, but not hospitalization,
will be increased.
"Some of these people, their thing is to go to the
library," the spokesman said. Cont. next Page
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: CONT
Established in 1800 as a reference library for Con­gress,
the ornate marble building across from the
Capitol now houses 74 million items, with over 350 miles
of bookshelves.
The idea of the psychiatric program to handle the
increasing numbers of disturbed patrons came about,
according to general cOWlSel Kominski, because of a
communications breakdown between the library staff
and the 164 member special library police force.
"There was a finger-pointing session between the
police and reference librarians over whose job it was to
handle these readers," Kominski said. "I think it was a
failure of staff people to understand each other's jobs."
According to Gerald T. Garvey, head of the library's
protective services division, no arrests have been made.
"You don't arrest people for being disturbed," he
said. Nor, it could be added, do you arrest people for
leaving propaganda in the card catalogues like the red
and black sticker adorned with a swastika and the
words, "IllTLER WAS RIGHT" which turned up
recently.
"What the class taught me," said reference librarian
Martin, "is how to be authoritive, but not authoritarian.
To say, 'Your actions are not acceptable,' rather than
making the person unacceptable."
Mark German, a team leader in the book service
department, remembers the "Bride of Christ," also
known as "Alpha-Omega."
"She would fill out the call slips in Biblical names,"
German said. "And walk through the reading room,
blessing other readers. I haven't seen her for awhile. I
once loaned her some money. I felt sorry for her."
German calls the dozen or so disturbed patrons he has
come into contact with "totally hannless." In fact, the
mild-mannered, soft-spoken librarian said the other day,
"I like them. I find them interesting."
Share with others the great things your library is
doing! Also, any information and I or ideas you would
like to share with your colleagues is welcome. Please
send your contributions for the Bulletin to me at: Lake
Forest High School, R.D. 1, Box 370, Felton, Delaware
19943, or call me: W - 284-9291, H - 734-3386. The
deadline for the next Bulletin is the end of August.
Contributors to whom we give thanks. Without
their help there would be no copy. THANKS.
Jane Hukill
Doris Roth
Jean Trumbore
Delaware Library Association Bulletin is pub­lished
four times a year: Fall, Winter, Spring
and Summer. News items for inclusion in the
DLA Bulletin should be sent to the editor, Ms.
Emily C. McKnatt, DLA Bulletin, P.O. Box 1843,
Wilmington, Delaware 19899.
Pres. DLA: Jean Trumbore, Univ. of Del.
Libraries, Newark, Delaware 19711; Secretary:
Phyllis Rust, Milford Public Library, Milford,
Delaware 19963; Membership: Janet Dove,
College of Education Resource Center, Univ. of
Del., Newark, Delaware 19711.
SPRING CONFERENCE
The DLA Spring Conference was held at the Radisson
Hotel, Wilmington, on May 2 & 3. These pictures were
taken at one of the Conference highlights - the "After
Hours" party sponsored by the Wilmington Institute
Library on Friday evening.
"AFTER HOURS"
Left to right: John Painter, MARLF Represent­ative;
Janet Dove, DSLMA President; Helen St.
Clair, Program Committee; Sylvia Short, State
librarian.
Left to right: Mark Titus, retiring Treasurer;
Mary Byrne, retiring Secretary; Arnold Adoff,
poet; Alice Thornton, Program Committee; Pat­ricia
Scarry, ALA Chapter Relations Officer.
Mr. Adoff's visit was sponsored by the Delaware
Humanities Forum.
Clockwise: Harold Neikirk (seated); Joan
Hougentogler; Laurette Schetterer; Marion
Lynch; Ellen Lafferty; Margaret Wang; Laura
Bedard. Ms. Lynch and Ms. Wang participated
in the Serials Workshop.
Left to right: Vivan Thomas; Susan Brynteson,
Director of Ubraries, University of Delaware
and Friday dinner speaker; Patrick O'Donnell;
Lynn Wilkerson.
Left to right: Jack Russell, Brodart; Mayor
William T. McLaughlin; Patricia Chalfant.
Left to right: David Burdash, Director, Wil­mington
Institute Ubrary; Helen Bennett, ALA
Councilor; newly elected Secretary, Phyllis
Rust; newly elected Vice-President, Richard
Humphreys.
Left to right: Anthony Grillo, newly elected
Treasurer; Brenda Ferris; Dee Burdash; Linda
Gustafson; Gail Gill.
The next issue of the Bulletin will give you
information on the Fall Conference to be
held in October.
President
Jean Trumbore
Govenunent Documents and
Maps Department
University of Delaware Libraries
Newark, DE 1971l
Vice President, President-Elect
Richard Humphreys
Delaware Law School Library
Concord Pike CaEnpus
Wilmington, DE 19803
Secretary
Phyllis Rust
Milford Public Library
Milford, DE 19963
Treasurer
Anthony L. Grillo
DuPont Technical Library
0-3155
Wilmington, DE 19898
Past President
Appointed to fill vacancy
Florence Brown
Concord Pike Library
3406 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803
College and Research Library
Division President
Helen Barnett
Delaware Technical and
Community College -
Wilmington CaEnpus
333 Shiipley St.
Wilmington, DE 19801
Public Library ·Division
President
Susan Jamison
Corbit-Calloway Memorial Lib.
Box 128, High St.
Odessa, DE 19730
ALA Councilor
Helen Bennett
35 Greenway Square Apt. 23
Dover, DE 19901
MARLF Representatives
Jane Hukill
Brandywine College Library
Box 7319, Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803
John Painter
Delaware Technical and
Community College -
Southern CaEnpus
Georgetown, DE 19947
DELA WARE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
EXECUTIVE BOARD
W 738-2238
H 363-3241
(After Aug. 1,
Circulation Dept.
738-2455)
W 478-5280
H 764-1646
W 422-9418
or 422-8996
H 422-4369
W 774-7232
H 655-4963
W 478-9091
H 995-6386
W 571-2ll3
W 378-8838
(Tues. and Thurs.
734-4419)
H 378-2158
734-8731
W 478-3000
Ext. 239
W 856-5438
1980-1981
STANDING COMMITl'EES
Intellectual Freedom
Robert Marshall
Kirkwood Highway Library
6000 Kirkwood Highway
Wilmington, DE 19808
Legislative
W 999-0161
H 363-1336
Florence Brown (See Past President above)
Membership
Janet Dove
College of Education
Resource Center
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 1971l W 738-2335
Program
Richard Humphreys (See Vice President above)
Publications
Emily McKnatt
Lake Forest High School
R.D. 1, Box 370 W 284-9291
Felton, DE 19943 H 734-3386
Publicity
Pamela Nelson
Newark Free Library
750 East Delaware Avenue W 731-7550
Newark, DE 1971l H 366-1852
SPECIAL COMMITl'EES
Archivist
Judy Roberts
Cape Henlopen High School W 645-77ll
Lewes, DE 19958 H 645-9436
Scholarship, Awards and Citations
Delma Batton
Dover Public Library
45 S. State St.
Dover, DE 19901 W 734-4419
"Bert the Bookworm"
On Saturday, May 3rd, 1980, "Bert the Bookwonn"
meandered through Hockessin as the Hockessin Public
Library's entry to the town's annual May Day Parade.
Bert, on loan from the Division of Libraries, was
operated by seven young library patrons. Two addi-tional
children walked in front of Bert with a sign
advertising the library. The entourage was organized
and sent on its way by members of the Friends of the
Hockessin Public Library.
DElAWARE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 1843
Wilmington, Delaware 19899
Mrs . Madeli ne A. Dunn
408 E . 4th st .
Larelt DE 199~6
NON PROFIT ORG.
u.s. POSTAGE
PAID
WILMINGTON, DE
Permil No. 133

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Transcript

BULLETIN VOL. 33, -NO. 3
Spring Summer
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
Woodbridge, Connecticut, Apr. 18 - Research Publi­cations,
Inc. (RPI) of Woodbridge, Connecticut in co­operation
with the Columbia Unversity School of Social
Work, the oldest school of social work in the United
States, will produce a microfilm collection based on the
holdings of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Li­brary
of Social Work. The Social Work Agency Collec­tion
will contain materials from american and foreign
voluntary and public social service agencies, institu­tions,
and organizations.
The Social Work Library was started by the New York
Charity Organization Society in 1892. During the early
1900's the leading social service agencies pooled their
records and gave them to the Russell Sage Foundation,
the preeminent agency of the time. In 1949, when the
Russell Sage Foundation disbanded, the records were
given to the New York School of Social Work, which in
1963 became the Columbia University School of Social
Work.
The history of formal education for the profession of
social work is closely related to the history of voluntary
social service organizations in this country, and the two
have developed and changed through the years in
response to sociopolitical and economic trends and
attitudes with respect to philanthropy and social wel­fare.
The Whitney M. Young, Jr. Memorial Library of
Social Work contains more of the records necessary for
social work education than can be found in any other
social work library. These records, often referred to as
fugitive material, ephemera, or agency material, cover
topics dealing with the entire range of human problems
from infancy to old age, death, and bereavement. They
were produced by agencies as state of the art reports,
annual reports, conference and workshop proceedings,
position papers, training, and case documents. This
type of material is considered so important that the
Council on Social Work Education (the accrediting body
for all schools of social work) requires that all libraries
supporting social work education acquire and maintain
a collection of it.
In the traditional library setting much of this type of
material is considered ephemera, with little attention
given to collecting it and cataloging it systematically for
any permanent collection. Columbia is one of the few
libraries which has made a systematic effort to collect
and organize this great body of material. As is its
policy, Research Publications will provide bibliographic
tools and cataloging to assure comprehensive access to
the contents of this collection.
The Social Work Agency Collection will be of great
interest to all schools offering social work curricula,
and the many colleges and universities which now offer
programs in the fields of Aging Studies, Drug and
Alcohol Rehabilitation, Criminal Justice, Child Welfare,
Juvenile Delinquence, and other areas which relate to
materials in the collection. Social and intellectual
historians and social scientists will also find consider­able
research material of interest to them in this
microfilm collection.
NEW LETA
SERIALS
1980
A new institute on "Automated Serials Control,"
sponsored by the Library and Information Technology
Association, a division of the American Library Associa­tion,
will be held, September 4-5, 1980 at the Pfister
Hotel in Milwaukee, WI.
An important part of the program will be exhibits and
demonstrations of operational systems available
through commercial vendors, bibliographic utilities,
regional and state networks, and other systems that are
available through cooperative use. Provision will be
made for libraries with internally developed operational
systems to exhibit their systems and distribute hand­outs.
Vendors, utilities, networks, and libraries who are
interested in exhibiting at this important institute should
contact UTA I ALA, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611 ; or
call (312) 944-6780, extension 302.
Looking for ways to develop / update performance
appraisal in your college library? Ever wondered how
other college libraries handle this problem? What kinds
of written policies exist? How they are implemented?
Now you can CUP it.
Included in CUP No. 1-80 are an annotated biblio­graphy
of recent literature on performance apprai$al,
plus sample policies, procedures, and forms demonstrat­ing
a variety of approaches presently used at 10 sample
institutions. This material illustrates many positive
features to mix and match, according to the circum­stances
at a particular library.
To obtain material for this kit, the ACRL College
Library Section Continuing Education Committee polled
libraries of academic institutions in AAUP Category II
from seven Midwestern States. From their responses
the Committee selected uniquely representative infor­mation
for presentation.
CUPs or College Library Information Packets have
been developed by the CLS-CE Committee to dissemi­nate
information from college libraries on how they are
dealing with topics of general interest. The focus of
CUP No. 1-80 was felt to be a particularly pressing
problem. Other CUPs are in the planning stages and
will be announced as available.
Copies may be obtained from: Continuing Education
Chair, ACRL/ ALA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, Illinois
60611. Cost: $7.50 ACRL Members; $10.00 Non-
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: ACCOMMODATING DISTURBED
Washington Post Article
This article appeared in the Washington Post, March 28, 1980. Permission granted for use 7-1s.80.
She comes to the Library of Congress every day,
gliding through the ornate marble corridors in flowing
white robes and veil, carrying a white leather Bible and
calling herself the bride of Christ.
In the hushed, softly lit aisles of the main reading
room, a man sits quietly, wearing a yellow plastic
wastebasket over his head. Nearby, an elderly woman
leafs through stacks of telephone books, looking for the
person who had put a spell on her many years earlier.
Their behavior, and that of a dozen other homeless,
friendless and unwashed patrons who regularly seek
asylum in the building's unthreatening atmosphere, has
prompted the federal institution to seek outside help.
In January, the Psychiatric Institute of Washington
began an unprecendented 19-week course for library
staffers entitled: "Successfully Dealing With Disrup­tive
Disturbed Patrons."
"The Library of Congress is like the dayroom of a
state mental hospital," said Deana Goldstein, director of
the Institute's Crisis Intervention Center. Along with a
staff psychiatrist, Goldstein meets with 25 library
staffers every Tuesday morning from 8:30 to 11:30,
teaching them how to deal with bizarre or brazen book
lovers.
"Librarians are notoriously tolerant people," said
Goldstein. "But they put up with a lot they don't have
to. It's not only disturbed patrons, but prima donnas
from Congress who aren't necessarily psychotic, but
close to it."
According to Goldstein, it is the first such effort by a
federal agency in helping public employees deal with
the public.
"I tell people about some of the readers," said Kathy
Gould, director of the newspaper and periodical reading
room. "They don't believe it."
The roster of library "Irregulars" includes the "Bag
Lady," for example, wno spends the day at the Library
of Congress despite the fact that "her body odor clears
out the entire room," according to one staffer.
"Most of the readers are very tolerant," said Gould,
recalling one man who became overpowered by the
"Bag Lady's" foul smell and told the reference desk the
Xerox machine must be on fire.
There's "Robin Hood," a tall attractive man who
wears a quiver of arrows on his shoulder and sits at the
microfilm screen every day, reading back copies of The
Los Angeles Times.
"The Button Lady" wears a large, brown paper button
with the word "LOVE" printed on it. "She accuses
everyone of being an FBI agent and dresses like a nun.
One day she brought in a camera and started photo­graphing
the others readers," according to one em­ployee.
Then there was the man who was caught - naked -
doing his laundry in the first floor men's room. One
employee remembers the man who came in dressed as
a shepherd, carrying a staff. Another reader wears
styrofoam cups over his ears to block out interfering
radio waves from China.
"Most of them are really harmless," said Gould, a
13-year veteran of the Library of Congress. "But it
makes me a little uneasy. It's the really hostile reader
who upsets us."
"Mr. Gloves," according to the library's general
counsel, John Kominski, was a hostile reader.
"He wore these thin white gauze gloves and had an
irascible personality," said Kominski. Before his ban­ishment
from the library, "Mr. Gloves" could be found
fighting and cursing the library staffers as they tried to
hush his disturbances.
According to one staffer, "Mr. Gloves" was suspected
of pilfering the library's monthly copy of "Gourmet"
magazine. Another regular patron, who called herself
the Queen of France, would daily sunter into the
periodical reading room, pull up a chair to the micro­film
machine and curse at the top of her lungs.
"Over the past few years, it's become an increasing
problem," said Kominski. "It's not just street people
who come in from the cold, but people who are, in fact,
disturbed. "
Saying the very nature of the Library of Congress
attracts "the fringe element," Kominski said the num­ber
has increased inordinantly. "Perhaps it's due to
economic or social pressure. Maybe they're spreading
the word among themselves," he said. "I think it's
somewhat of a unique problem."
Experts in the mental health field say the Library of
Congress allows disturbed persons - some of them
out-patients from local mental hospitals - to be in
society without actually having to participate in it.
Since the library is open seven days a week, from
morning to night, it has become a haven for the lonely,
deluded and paranoid residents of Washington's halfway
houses and East Capitol St. rooming houses. They sleep
on the reading room tables and gather in the basement
snack bar, snatching half-consumed cups of coffee and
cigarette butts.
"They are people you feel a natural sorrow for," said
reference librarian Tom Martin. "In many cases,
there's little you can do."
According to Deana Goldstein, there are two reasons
why the Library of Congress, as well as other public
places across the country, are seeing more disturbed
persons. "The first reason is the advent of major
tranquilizers, the second is the idea of 'main-streaming'
mentally ill patients, the trend away from institution­alization.
"
In fact, the resident population of mental institutions
has been reduced by two-thirds in 20 years, according to
nationwide surveys. In 1955, there were 559,000 resident
mental patients. By 1975, that figure had dropped to
193,000 patients. At the same time, admissions in­creased
but the hospital stays were of a shorter dura­tion.
Studies also found that 64 percent were read­missions
and that one-half of all mental patients who
were released were readmitted to the hospital within
one year.
St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Southeast Washington re­ported
a decline of nearly 4,000 resident patients be­tween
the years 1966 and 1976. As of May 1979, there
were only 1,965 resident patients.
A hospital spokesman said the idea of "mainstream­ing"
mental patients into society hinges on support
systems in the conununity. With current city and
federal budget cuts, it appears unlikely that services for
persons who need supervision, but not hospitalization,
will be increased.
"Some of these people, their thing is to go to the
library," the spokesman said. Cont. next Page
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: CONT
Established in 1800 as a reference library for Con­gress,
the ornate marble building across from the
Capitol now houses 74 million items, with over 350 miles
of bookshelves.
The idea of the psychiatric program to handle the
increasing numbers of disturbed patrons came about,
according to general cOWlSel Kominski, because of a
communications breakdown between the library staff
and the 164 member special library police force.
"There was a finger-pointing session between the
police and reference librarians over whose job it was to
handle these readers," Kominski said. "I think it was a
failure of staff people to understand each other's jobs."
According to Gerald T. Garvey, head of the library's
protective services division, no arrests have been made.
"You don't arrest people for being disturbed," he
said. Nor, it could be added, do you arrest people for
leaving propaganda in the card catalogues like the red
and black sticker adorned with a swastika and the
words, "IllTLER WAS RIGHT" which turned up
recently.
"What the class taught me," said reference librarian
Martin, "is how to be authoritive, but not authoritarian.
To say, 'Your actions are not acceptable,' rather than
making the person unacceptable."
Mark German, a team leader in the book service
department, remembers the "Bride of Christ," also
known as "Alpha-Omega."
"She would fill out the call slips in Biblical names,"
German said. "And walk through the reading room,
blessing other readers. I haven't seen her for awhile. I
once loaned her some money. I felt sorry for her."
German calls the dozen or so disturbed patrons he has
come into contact with "totally hannless." In fact, the
mild-mannered, soft-spoken librarian said the other day,
"I like them. I find them interesting."
Share with others the great things your library is
doing! Also, any information and I or ideas you would
like to share with your colleagues is welcome. Please
send your contributions for the Bulletin to me at: Lake
Forest High School, R.D. 1, Box 370, Felton, Delaware
19943, or call me: W - 284-9291, H - 734-3386. The
deadline for the next Bulletin is the end of August.
Contributors to whom we give thanks. Without
their help there would be no copy. THANKS.
Jane Hukill
Doris Roth
Jean Trumbore
Delaware Library Association Bulletin is pub­lished
four times a year: Fall, Winter, Spring
and Summer. News items for inclusion in the
DLA Bulletin should be sent to the editor, Ms.
Emily C. McKnatt, DLA Bulletin, P.O. Box 1843,
Wilmington, Delaware 19899.
Pres. DLA: Jean Trumbore, Univ. of Del.
Libraries, Newark, Delaware 19711; Secretary:
Phyllis Rust, Milford Public Library, Milford,
Delaware 19963; Membership: Janet Dove,
College of Education Resource Center, Univ. of
Del., Newark, Delaware 19711.
SPRING CONFERENCE
The DLA Spring Conference was held at the Radisson
Hotel, Wilmington, on May 2 & 3. These pictures were
taken at one of the Conference highlights - the "After
Hours" party sponsored by the Wilmington Institute
Library on Friday evening.
"AFTER HOURS"
Left to right: John Painter, MARLF Represent­ative;
Janet Dove, DSLMA President; Helen St.
Clair, Program Committee; Sylvia Short, State
librarian.
Left to right: Mark Titus, retiring Treasurer;
Mary Byrne, retiring Secretary; Arnold Adoff,
poet; Alice Thornton, Program Committee; Pat­ricia
Scarry, ALA Chapter Relations Officer.
Mr. Adoff's visit was sponsored by the Delaware
Humanities Forum.
Clockwise: Harold Neikirk (seated); Joan
Hougentogler; Laurette Schetterer; Marion
Lynch; Ellen Lafferty; Margaret Wang; Laura
Bedard. Ms. Lynch and Ms. Wang participated
in the Serials Workshop.
Left to right: Vivan Thomas; Susan Brynteson,
Director of Ubraries, University of Delaware
and Friday dinner speaker; Patrick O'Donnell;
Lynn Wilkerson.
Left to right: Jack Russell, Brodart; Mayor
William T. McLaughlin; Patricia Chalfant.
Left to right: David Burdash, Director, Wil­mington
Institute Ubrary; Helen Bennett, ALA
Councilor; newly elected Secretary, Phyllis
Rust; newly elected Vice-President, Richard
Humphreys.
Left to right: Anthony Grillo, newly elected
Treasurer; Brenda Ferris; Dee Burdash; Linda
Gustafson; Gail Gill.
The next issue of the Bulletin will give you
information on the Fall Conference to be
held in October.
President
Jean Trumbore
Govenunent Documents and
Maps Department
University of Delaware Libraries
Newark, DE 1971l
Vice President, President-Elect
Richard Humphreys
Delaware Law School Library
Concord Pike CaEnpus
Wilmington, DE 19803
Secretary
Phyllis Rust
Milford Public Library
Milford, DE 19963
Treasurer
Anthony L. Grillo
DuPont Technical Library
0-3155
Wilmington, DE 19898
Past President
Appointed to fill vacancy
Florence Brown
Concord Pike Library
3406 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803
College and Research Library
Division President
Helen Barnett
Delaware Technical and
Community College -
Wilmington CaEnpus
333 Shiipley St.
Wilmington, DE 19801
Public Library ·Division
President
Susan Jamison
Corbit-Calloway Memorial Lib.
Box 128, High St.
Odessa, DE 19730
ALA Councilor
Helen Bennett
35 Greenway Square Apt. 23
Dover, DE 19901
MARLF Representatives
Jane Hukill
Brandywine College Library
Box 7319, Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803
John Painter
Delaware Technical and
Community College -
Southern CaEnpus
Georgetown, DE 19947
DELA WARE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
EXECUTIVE BOARD
W 738-2238
H 363-3241
(After Aug. 1,
Circulation Dept.
738-2455)
W 478-5280
H 764-1646
W 422-9418
or 422-8996
H 422-4369
W 774-7232
H 655-4963
W 478-9091
H 995-6386
W 571-2ll3
W 378-8838
(Tues. and Thurs.
734-4419)
H 378-2158
734-8731
W 478-3000
Ext. 239
W 856-5438
1980-1981
STANDING COMMITl'EES
Intellectual Freedom
Robert Marshall
Kirkwood Highway Library
6000 Kirkwood Highway
Wilmington, DE 19808
Legislative
W 999-0161
H 363-1336
Florence Brown (See Past President above)
Membership
Janet Dove
College of Education
Resource Center
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 1971l W 738-2335
Program
Richard Humphreys (See Vice President above)
Publications
Emily McKnatt
Lake Forest High School
R.D. 1, Box 370 W 284-9291
Felton, DE 19943 H 734-3386
Publicity
Pamela Nelson
Newark Free Library
750 East Delaware Avenue W 731-7550
Newark, DE 1971l H 366-1852
SPECIAL COMMITl'EES
Archivist
Judy Roberts
Cape Henlopen High School W 645-77ll
Lewes, DE 19958 H 645-9436
Scholarship, Awards and Citations
Delma Batton
Dover Public Library
45 S. State St.
Dover, DE 19901 W 734-4419
"Bert the Bookworm"
On Saturday, May 3rd, 1980, "Bert the Bookwonn"
meandered through Hockessin as the Hockessin Public
Library's entry to the town's annual May Day Parade.
Bert, on loan from the Division of Libraries, was
operated by seven young library patrons. Two addi-tional
children walked in front of Bert with a sign
advertising the library. The entourage was organized
and sent on its way by members of the Friends of the
Hockessin Public Library.
DElAWARE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 1843
Wilmington, Delaware 19899
Mrs . Madeli ne A. Dunn
408 E . 4th st .
Larelt DE 199~6
NON PROFIT ORG.
u.s. POSTAGE
PAID
WILMINGTON, DE
Permil No. 133